Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. —Ephesians 6:10–11
If your kids are involved in sports, you know how expensive it can be to suit them up for their games. Uniforms, cleats, soccer balls, baseball gloves—you name it. And the older and more competitive they get, the more substantial the equipment needs to be, right along with the price. (Now you have an idea how expensive it is to be the general manager of your own sports franchise.) But of course, you’re happy to pay more for equipment that does the job. That’s your posterity out there, and you want his or her precious little head protected, right? Right.
Here’s a solid general principle: the more ambitious the opposition, the more sound the protective equipment must be. So, what if they’re playing against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens” (v. 12)? Then you and I need the best equipment available.
The apostle Paul called this protective gear “the full armor of God” (v. 11). Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are necessary if we are going to survive the onslaughts of the wicked one. Look back over the list. These are accoutrements money can’t buy at a sporting-goods store.
There is a critically important dimension to Paul’s whole illustration of good equipment for the stiffest competition. Even if you read the “Passage for the Day,” you may have missed it. In fact, take a moment and go back. Read verses 10–11 again. Now, given the context of the whole idea that Paul was communicating, let me suggest a slightly different reading:
“Finally, you cannot be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength unless you put on the full armor of God.”
Without these connecting words, it looks like Paul is telling us to do two opposite things. First, he is telling us to be strong. Then he tells us to suit up because we don’t have a chance to be strong. Now do you see it?
Admittedly, you and I don’t like this. We like to do it ourselves. We don’t mind the rigors of a challenge, even one that seems monumental. We’re available to run laps, lift weights, and train like crazy for the game. But when the big day arrives, we want to be out there, strategizing, running, and scoring. “Go, Robert, go!” I can hear coming from all my fans in the stands.
But this isn’t close, not even close, when our opponent is Satan himself, the prince of darkness. If our intention is to take him on without a belt, one breastplate short, barefoot, having left our shield in the locker room and our helmet on the sidelines, we’re dead. We have no chance at all.
The greater the opponent, the more sober the necessary protection. If we’re going to be serious about being God’s man in life, in our work, or at our home—and we are, aren’t we?—then we’re going to have to admit to our heavenly Father that we’re incapable of doing this without Him.
“Father in heaven,” we might pray, “please give me the discipline to follow You. Forgive me for ever thinking I could do this on my own. I need Your truth. I need Your righteousness. I need Your peace. I need to receive Your faith. I need Your grace.”
You’re in the big leagues now. You’d better be ready with the right stuff.